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Write Well, Write Fast

Learn how to write well—and fast.

Jerry Silfwer
by Jerry Silfwer

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

Table of contents

Learn how to write well — and fast.

Putting things into words is a valu­able pub­lic rela­tions (PR) skill. If you can do that, you will always be help­ful. No mat­ter the situation.

Here we go:

Write Well, Write Fast

“Every once in a while I’ll sit down with a jug of Jack Daniels and a bottle of Advil and dig through old press releases to see if PR agen­cies have learned how to write.”
— Mark Ragan

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Write Well, Write Fast

If you com­bine sol­id writ­ing with speed, noth­ing will stop you. 

But how do you get faster at writ­ing? Most people make the mis­take of overthink­ing every word. They care­fully build word for word, sen­tence for sen­tence. The pro­cess can be painstak­ingly slow.

I pro­pose this approach:

Get the first draft down, fast. Never worry about the details; that’s what the second and third draft is for. What’s import­ant is to keep going without stop­ping. 1How To Write Faster (With Benefits and 14 Writing Tips) | Indeed​.com. (2024, February 4). Indeed​.com. https://​www​.indeed​.com/​c​a​r​e​e​r​-​a​d​v​i​c​e​/​c​a​r​e​e​r​-​d​e​v​e​l​o​p​m​e​n​t​/​h​o​w​-​t​o​-​w​r​i​t​e​-​f​a​s​ter

Will your first draft be good?
No, it won’t. And that’s fine. 

You’re not meant to be writ­ing and revis­ing at the same time. First you write, then you revise. 

How To Write Well and Fast

I sug­gest these con­sid­er­a­tions for any­one aspir­ing to become a sol­id pub­lic rela­tions writer:

  • Never stop a flow. Don’t stop. Finish your piece all the way through. You can go back and fine-tune your text when you have a first draft.
  • Embrace revi­sions. Even exper­i­enced writers are expec­ted to do count­less revi­sions, so don’t try to write a per­fect text in one go.
  • Take notes as you write. Unsure about how to spell a par­tic­u­lar word? Or do you need to double-check a source? Add a note and fix it later.
  • Start a sand­box blog. For instance, I use this blog to prac­tice writ­ing in English. Since people can see all my mis­takes, it pushes me to improve.
  • Experiment with formats and medi­ums. Explore the use of visu­als, mul­ti­me­dia ele­ments, and inter­act­ive con­tent to enhance the effect­ive­ness and ver­sat­il­ity of your PR writing.
  • Be free and have fun. If you have fun writ­ing, the read­er can tell — and are bet­ter off for it.
  • Try dif­fer­ent ton­al­it­ies. A PR writer should­n’t have just one style; a PR writer should be able to bring out whatever style is needed for the task.
  • Tell a story. When all fails, try telling a story. Storytelling is an excel­lent example of “show, don’t tell.”

Writing well and fast is a skill worth devel­op­ing. Bonus: You’ll join a small but well-respec­ted club of skilled — and fast! — pub­lic rela­tions writers.

Learn more: Write Well, Write Fast

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Communication Skill: Drafting

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Communication Skill: Drafting

Drafting, cre­at­ing, and refin­ing writ­ten doc­u­ments are fun­da­ment­al com­mu­nic­a­tion skills cru­cial in every­day life. From com­pos­ing emails and writ­ing reports to craft­ing per­son­al let­ters or social media posts, the abil­ity to draft and edit doc­u­ments ensures clar­ity, coher­ence, and effect­ive­ness in con­vey­ing messages. 

“The first draft of any­thing is shit.”
— Ernest Hemingway

Many indi­vidu­als struggle with writ­ing not because they lack ideas but because they under­es­tim­ate the power of revi­sion. The ini­tial draft is rarely per­fect; it’s through revis­ing this draft — trans­form­ing it into a second, third, or even fourth draft — that one hones the mes­sage, sharpens the lan­guage, and strengthens the over­all communication. 

Developing a habit of draft­ing and edit­ing allows for explor­ing ideas, refin­ing thought, and elim­in­at­ing ambi­gu­ity, mak­ing the final product more impact­ful and under­stood by its inten­ded audi­ence.

To become bet­ter at draft­ing, con­sider these five tips:

  • Embrace the pro­cess. Accept that draft­ing is a pro­cess that involves writ­ing, revis­it­ing, and revis­ing. Your first draft is just the begin­ning, not the end product.
  • Separate writ­ing from edit­ing. Allow your­self to write freely in the ini­tial draft without wor­ry­ing about per­fec­tion. Focus on get­ting your ideas down, then shift to edit­ing mode to refine your work.
  • Read aloud. Reading your draft aloud can help you catch errors, awk­ward phras­ing, and unclear areas. This prac­tice can also improve the rhythm and flow of your writing.
  • Seek feed­back. Don’t hes­it­ate to share your drafts with oth­ers. Feedback can provide new per­spect­ives and insights that you might have overlooked.
  • Use tools wisely. Use writ­ing and edit­ing tools (such as large lan­guage mod­els, gram­mar check­ers, or style guides) to help identi­fy areas for improve­ment. However, always apply your judg­ment to ensure sug­ges­tions align with your inten­ded mes­sage and voice.

Incorporating these strategies into your writ­ing routine can elev­ate your draft­ing skills, lead­ing to pre­cise, com­pel­ling, and effect­ive writ­ten com­mu­nic­a­tion in every aspect of your life.

Learn more: Communication Skills (That Everyone Should Learn)

💡 Subscribe and get a free ebook on how to get bet­ter PR ideas.

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The PAS Formula

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The PAS Formula

The PAS for­mula is simple: start with the prob­lem, move on to agit­ate, and then offer a solu­tion. It can serve as a help­ful tool for stressed PR writers.

The PAS formula:

  • Problem: Outline your read­er­’s pain point.
  • Agitate: Amplify and drive home the pain point.
  • Solve: Offer an action­able solution.

Learn more: The PAS Formula for PR Writers

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PR Writing: Practice Formats

Make sure to learn how to write: 

  • blog posts
  • PR pitches
  • press releases
  • land­ing page copy
  • SEO copy
  • sales copy
  • pro­gram­mat­ic ads
  • annu­al reports
  • journ­al­ist­ic articles
  • case stud­ies
  • schol­arly articles
  • social media updates
  • present­a­tions
  • speeches
  • state­ments

Being sol­id (and fast!) PR writer will be invalu­able both to you and to oth­ers. It could even be the corner­stone of your PR career.

Signature - Jerry Silfwer - Doctor Spin

Thanks for read­ing. Please con­sider shar­ing my pub­lic rela­tions blog with oth­er com­mu­nic­a­tion and mar­ket­ing pro­fes­sion­als. If you have ques­tions (or want to retain my PR ser­vices), please con­tact me at jerry@​spinfactory.​com.

PR Resource: Free Writing PR Course

Free Writing PR Course - Doctor Spin - Public Relations Blog
Free writ­ing PR course.
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Doctor Spin’s PR School: Free Writing PR Course

Discover the power of effect­ive PR writ­ing with this free Writing PR Course. Find tips and inspir­a­tion. Boost your skills and boost your career pro­spects today.

PR Writing Inspiration

Learn more: All Free PR Courses

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ANNOTATIONS
Jerry Silfwer
Jerry Silfwerhttps://doctorspin.net/
Jerry Silfwer, alias Doctor Spin, is an awarded senior adviser specialising in public relations and digital strategy. Currently CEO at Spin Factory and KIX Communication Index. Before that, he worked at Kaufmann, Whispr Group, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Cover Photo

The cover photo isn't related to public relations; it's just a photo of mine. Think of it as a 'decorative diversion', a subtle reminder that there is more to life than strategic communication.

The cover photo has

Mossy stone.
Mossy stone.

.

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